BEIJING, July 16,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sitting next to me is a young
boy about 10 years old. He has two bright eyes and attractive long
eyelashes that sparkle when he talks. In fact, he lost his vision
due to optic atrophy caused by a sudden illness in 2018.
Excited and nervous, he kept whispering to his father, "Has the
movie started yet?"
Wearing earphones with pre-recorded narrative content, he was
waiting to "see" the prescreening of comedy hit Successor with his
father and other visually impaired people.
With a little imagination, the boy shared the moments of
laughter and joy with us.
"I'm so happy! I want to see another one next time," the boy
told his father.
Wearing the same equipment, I tried to share the boy's
experience by listening to the voice from the earphones, which
narrated everything that happened on the big screen.
After the film, I felt the same way. It was exciting to share
this art of light and shadow with people who were enjoying it for
the first time.
The Successor and Under the Stranger by director Wu Ershan are the first two movies of the summer
that will be released in theaters, on July
13 and July 26, respectively,
with accessible narration for the blind.
According to statistics, there are about 17 million visually
impaired people in China. With the
country's rapid development, their spiritual and cultural needs are
increasingly valued by the whole of society.
More and more accessible facilities like barrier-free cinemas,
streaming apps, and bookstores are building bridges for them to
share in the cultural heritage of the country.
Since the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published
Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise
Print Disabled took effect in China on May 5,
2022, relevant institutions and companies have created an
increasingly rich range of accessible film and television works to
meet the needs of the visually impaired.
From the Guangming Cinema (Light Cinema), which transforms
movies into "accessible versions" that allow the visually impaired
to share the experience with others, to various streaming apps
aimed at their special needs, more and more new and advanced
cultural content services are being provided.
I was able to share the joy with the young boy and other
visually impaired friends thanks to the new service jointly
launched by the China Braille Library and tech giant Tencent.
Titled "Barrier-free Cinemas," the service, aimed at benefiting
China's more than 17 million
visually impaired individuals, is scheduled to release over 600
films and TV dramas.
The producers of the two films supported the entire process of
providing the two barrier-free films, from providing film sources
to distribution and screenings.
In order to stay true to a film, the volunteers watched and
mapped out each film, then wrote an explanation script using
precise language to ensure it would be the appropriate length.
Visually impaired evaluators participated in trial sessions and
put forth suggestions to improve the language, narrative logic, and
detailed characterization.
Experts from the Chinese Braille Library also provided guidance
throughout the process and worked with volunteers to optimize the
final draft.
The Love Cinema project team from the Shanghai Film Distribution
and Screening Industry Association recorded the soundtrack based on
the script, synthesized it with the original film, and finally
produced a barrier-free audio version.
It is a long and multiple-step process, which requires time and
effort from various parties and professionals.
However, things have started to change with the introduction of
AI large language models, which have increased production
efficiency by a factor of three.
"I never had such a memorable afternoon with you for quite a
long time, my son," said a voice behind me as I left the
theater.
See, society does keep improving inch by inch.
The author is a reporter with the Global Times.
life@globaltimes.com.cn
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-times-tech-enables-magic-of-light-shadow-in-china-302198027.html
SOURCE Global Times